


Lips Like Sugar

by kadikim



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, EXO as a cosmetics company, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:42:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26475121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kadikim/pseuds/kadikim
Summary: EXO Cosmetics is planning to launch it's newest lipstick brand, SUGAR™. But they're in a bind because the male lead of the promotional ad, Nation's Heartthrob, Kim Kai, is being very picky with who his partner is going to be. Right until Do Kyungsoo walks in, which changed everything.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Junmyeon | Suho
Comments: 21
Kudos: 62





	1. A Walk-in to Remember

Another resounding no echoed inside the conference hall where the planning for the launching ad of EXO Cosmetics’ latest lipstick brand, SUGAR™, is being held. It has been the fifth time the said word was uttered by Kim Kai as the list of other celebrities are being shown to him individually so that he can choose the one he will be paired up with. The marketing team has started to become anxious since they’re down to only three persons left in the list and it’s starting to feel like they’d have to come up with a new list.

“What about Krystal?” Baekhyun—the head of the marketing team that’s in charge of SUGAR™ promotions—asked Kai, showing another celebrity in the slideshow he prepared for the selection process.

“No,” Kai replied without second thoughts. “People still think we dated just because some random reporter got a photo of us together. Doing an ad with her will just add fuel to the fire.”

“But don’t you see that as a good publicity stunt?” Baekhyun asked. “I mean, we’re not going to confirm nor deny anything about you two. But people will be intrigued enough since the two of you are still a hot topic.”

“Then, what’s the point of doing an ad for the product if all people will look forward to are gossips?” Kai challenged. “No offense, Baek, I know how much you’re invested in this, but, as the son of the owner of EXO, I want the products to be known more than whoever does the ad. That’s actually the major reason why this has been the first time I agreed to take part in an ad for the company. You know how people can get easily distracted by the models that they missed the whole point of the ad.”

“I understand,” Baekhyun relented. “I guess I got too carried away by the idea of wanting the product to be a success that I forgot what’s really essential.” He turned to look at his assistant. “Chanyeol, let’s proceed to the next person on the list.”

Chanyeol clicked the remote control and the slideshow turned to a photo of Jennie.

“No. No explanations as well.”

Baekhyun sighed. He motioned for Chanyeol to proceed to the next and last celebrity for the list they have. But before Chanyeol can even press the remote control, a knock by the door interrupted their meeting.

“Go ahead,” Kai said, when Baekhyun looked towards him for permission. Baekhyun, in turn, asked Chanyeol to see who it was outside the door.

As Chanyeol went by the door, Kai busied himself on his phone, letting his manager know the progress of the meeting. Apparently, he also has a script reading he needs to attend in an hour. He decided he’s going to tell Baekhyun to reschedule the meeting since it seems that today was a futile attempt anyway.

“Baekhyun sunbae,” a foreign voice called, which made Kai look up from his phone. What he saw surprised him. Standing in front of Baekyun is easily one of the most beautiful people Kai has seen in his whole life. Which means a lot considering Kai works in the showbiz industry, plus the fact that he’s an heir to a cosmetics company.

“Oh, Kyungsoo, what brings you here?” Baekhyun asked.

“Mr. Kim personally asked me to give this to you,” Kyungsoo replied, handing a manila envelope to Baekhyun. “He said this needs to be worked on before the SUGAR™ launching date. He also said to meet him after your meeting with Mr. Kai.”

“Okay. Is that all?”

“Yes, sunbae. I’ll go ahead now.” Kyungsoo turned on his heel, about to leave the conference hall when Kai called him.

Surprised at the sudden attention, Kyungsoo turned to face Kai. Kyungsoo’s eyes widen at how Kai was smiling at him like they know each other.

But even more surprising is when Kai offered him a handshake and asked the most unexpected question he has ever gotten in his entire life: “What do you say with being my partner for the SUGAR™ ad?”

*****

“Why the fuck did you say no, Kyungsoo? To Kim Kai, of all people. That is basically a mortal sin nowadays.”

Kyungsoo sighed. “Jongdae, I didn’t come to this company to be a model or brand ambassador or something along that path. You know how I’ve always just envisioned myself to work here so I can hopefully develop products that will be economically- and nature-friendly. Besides, SUGAR™ is such a huge deal; I don’t want the ad to be a flop because of me.”

Jongdae poked Kyungsoo’s cheek. “Wow, Soo. Why do you think so low of yourself? Honestly, I know exactly why Kai just took one look at you and he already ended up smitten. And I know more people who fell under your spell. Like Seonho, Hongki, Doyoung, Minah, Jiyeon, the list goes on.”

“Kai is _not_ smitten,” Kyungsoo clarified. “He just wants something that’s unconventional. He said so himself.”

“The fact that he wants you over a number of other celebrities is enough indication that he likes my Baby Soo,” Jongdae insisted, wiggling his eyebrows. “Besides, don’t you trust Baekhyun sunbae and his team to make the ad work wonders? And don’t get me started with Kai.”

“That’s the point. Why would they need me when they’re more than capable of making an awesome ad with someone who is not me?”

“Because the goal is not just for the viewers to love the people in the ad, but to make the product shine in the ad.” Kyungsoo’s question was answered, not by Jongdae, but by Kai himself.

Kyungsoo and Jongdae immediately fixed their appearances and stood promptly when Kai entered the pantry where they had been staying for their break.

Kyungsoo watched as Kai ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t want to use my connection to this company as a way to get you to agree, but I already talked to my dad about the matter,” Kai said.

Kyungsoo got a bit confused. What does Kai’s dad have to do with having him agree to be part of the ad?

And that’s when Mr. Kim Soohyun, founder and current CEO of EXO Cosmetics, entered. “Mr. Do, I would like to make a proposal to you.”

“Kim Kai is the son you keep talking about, Mr. Kim?” Kyungsoo gaped like a fish at the revelation. It’s not a secret in the company that Mr. Kim has a son though Mr. Kim’s son has never been revealed until now.

Mr. Kim nodded. “And I really hope this knowledge would just remain among us. Only a handful of people know about this. But I trust you a lot, Kyungsoo. I’ve seen you grow in this company and I know you’re one of the people who will do anything to help this company. And not in a bad way. So, I’d ask this really huge favor from you. You know SUGAR™ is the last brainchild of my late wife, and I would only want the best for it. I am willing to compensate you with anything within my means if you agree to the ad. At least just the ad. I won’t require you to attend the launching or other events. Kai can handle those. So please, just give this more thought. If you can’t decide now, we can wait until tomorrow for you to think this through.”

Kyungsoo remained speechless. He’s overwhelmed by how much the CEO sees of him. But what if he agrees and the ad backfires? He wouldn’t be able to live it down. Not only would he not be able to face the public, but he wouldn’t be able to honor his personal hero, the late Mrs. Kim.

“Kyungsoo,” Kai called softly. “You’re not in this alone. I admit I initially just wanted you to work with me because of your appearance, but when I learned how much you’ve invested in this company, in my mom’s work, my resolve for you to be part of the ad has been cemented further. I know if my mom were still here, she would agree that you’re the best pick out of everyone.”

Kyungsoo wants to say no, but he really feels the need to say yes. And maybe he'd regret it, but he decided to choose the latter. “Okay.”

“Are you sure, Kyungsoo?” Mr. Kim asked. “We don’t want to pressure you into this.”

“I want to help, Mr. Kim. I know how much this would mean to Mrs. Kim.”

Kyungsoo was surprised when Mr. Kim gave him a brief hug. And he was even more surprised when he noticed the glassy eyes of the CEO. “Thank you, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo smiled.

“Thank you, Kyungsoo-ssi.” Another expression of gratitude, but this time it was from Kai who was smiling softly at him. “Mom would be happy. Thank you.”

And somewhere deep in Kyungsoo’s heart, he feels warmth brought about by what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kadikim1288) if you want to talk. :D


	2. Four Versions of Sweetness (Supportive Best Friend version)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then #KAIxBOBBIBROWN actually happened...

Kyungsoo is currently regretting how he agreed to this. Sure, he has all the intentions to help out CEO Kim with the launching of SUGAR™, but maybe putting himself in the launching ad for it is a bit too much. He supposes he can still retract himself from the ad, but the gleam of gratitude in the CEO's eyes when he actually said yes a couple of days ago is not something he wants to wipe away.

_Don't forget how Kai looks so happy..._ a small voice in his head added, which he attempted to shake away. Blame Jongdae and his teasing.

He was so caught in fighting away those thoughts that he forgot he's actually getting his make-up and hair fixed. He tried not to flinch with the way the make-up artist is practically manhandling him in front of the mirror.

Today is the first day of shooting for the ad. Kyungsoo learned two days back that there will be four versions for it and he has read over the script ever since. He's actually fine with the storyline of two of the versions, but the two others really make his stomach churn with just the thought of doing them.

Since Kyungsoo is new to being in front of the camera, Kai has suggested for them to have a run-through first in the morning, then— _hopefully_ , Kyungsoo supplied in his head—proceed to the actual ad shoot in the afternoon. Their timeline for the shoot is going to be at least a week, given the adjustments the team has made for Kyungsoo's sake. And Kyungsoo supposes that's another reason why he can't exactly back out anymore.

"Please close your eyes, Kyungsoo-ssi," Sehun said, as he put the finishing touches on Kyungsoo's face with gentle strokes of a brush. Despite the fact that this morning will be spent mostly just for practice, Baekhyun wanted to see how his face will appear on video. The make-up and the lighting have to be adjusted if ever they won't complement each other right away.

"HOLY WOW, SOO! You look amazing!" Even with eyes closed, he knows it's Jongdae. Kyungsoo thinks his best friend is just exaggerating, just to be supportive. But he's still grateful.

"Holy wow indeed," Sehun agreed, turning the swivel chair around so the first thing Kyungsoo will see once he opens his eyes is his reflection in the vanity mirror. "Kyungsoo-ssi, you may now open your eyes."

Kyungsoo had to squint a bit to get used to the light. He wasn't allowed to wear his eyeglasses, which means he has to really make an effort to see clearly. Sehun said he'll be allowed to wear contacts at least.

Once Kyungsoo's eyesight finally adjusted to the light, he almost gasps when he saw the person in the mirror. Kyungsoo felt an itch to touch his face, but Sehun warned him not to dare put his hands in his face lest he ruins his make-up. The make-up is nothing heavy, but it still helped accentuate Kyungsoo's features.

"I can't wait for Kai to see you!" Jongdae gushed. "Soo, I can already imagine people shipping you together!"

"Jongdae, stop it," Kyungsoo chided. "Don't let Kai hear you."

"Don't let me hear what?"

"How cute the two of you would look together," Jongdae replied nonchalantly to Kai, who appeared by the doorway.

Kyungsoo glared at Jongdae. Jongdae really needs to stop playing the role of a matchmaker in Kyungsoo's life. And if it wasn't for Kai and Sehun being in the room with them, Jongdae would already be in Kyungsoo's chokehold for saying those things.

Kai, on the other hand, seemed to be please with what Jongdae said. Kyungsoo does not want to read much into it though.

"I actually agree, Kai," Sehun added. "You really have a great eye for beauty."

Kai smiled. "Well, I guess my parents taught me well. Especially Mom."

Kyungsoo noticed how Kai's smile turned a little wistful when he mentioned his mom. Actually, Kyungsoo could say he feels the same. Even if the late Mrs. Kim is not related to him biologically in any way, she still treated Kyungsoo like he's her own son.

Something in Kyungsoo's heart hurt a bit for Kai. Even if he doesn't know a lot of things about him—and what he mostly does know are the things Kai made public due to his status as an actor—Kyungsoo feels a certain connection to him because of his mother. And that's where Kyungsoo attributes the urge to comfort the guy. And this whole ad model situation as well.

*****

"So, for the first version, we'll show you two as best friends being supportive of each other's career," Baekhyun discussed while flipping over some papers. "As you have read in the script, Kyungsoo will be an aspiring pastry chef and Kai will be his trusted taster." He turned to his assistant. "Chanyeol, please brief them of the set we'll be using."

"Hi, Kai, Kyungsoo," Chanyeol greeted with a huge smile, gesturing with his hand as he leads them to a kitchen set, with an island in the middle. Several baking materials are set on the counter, along with some already-baked pastries. "So, we'll use this for today's shoot. It looks great, right?"

Kyungsoo couldn't agree more. This looks like every aspiring pâtissier's dream home, one which has a kitchen with complete baking equipment and impressive interior design. Not a lot of people know this, but Kyungsoo also has a heart for baking.

"Yes, it does," Kai affirmed. "As expected of you, Chanyeol."

Chanyeol's smile got bigger at the compliment. "Thank you, Kai." Chanyeol then turned to Kyungsoo. "Kyungsoo, I wanna hear your opinion as well."

"I would like to have a kitchen like this, Chanyeol sunbae," Kyungsoo admitted. "Though heaven knows I can't possibly afford it."

"Well, you'll have some hefty amount of salary from this ad, you know," Chanyeol pointed out.

Kyungsoo nodded absentmindedly. He already saw the figures of how much he'll be getting from this ad when he signed the contract two days ago, but it still hasn't completely sunk in to him yet. It practically has way more digits than his monthly paycheck from his actual work.

"Okay, attention everyone!" Baekhyun's voice boomed inside the set. "We'll have our run-through first this morning, and then the actual shoot in the afternoon. Let's all support Kai, and especially our dear Kyungsoo, who's now coming out of his shell. Oh my gosh! I'm so excited!" Baekhyun used his hands to fan himself, which made the rest of the crew laughed. Even Kai gave a small smile and made a fond comment on Baekhyun's dramatic tendencies.

When Baekhyun calmed down, everyone switched their attention to Kyungsoo, who automatically flushed. If anything, his cheeks turned a bit rosier coming from his already dolled up face.

"Ready, Kyungsoo-ssi?" Kai asked.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath. "Not really. But I'll do my best."

"Don't worry, I'll guide you," Kai promised.

"Thank you."

"See that? They're already living up to their roles!" Baekhyun exclaimed, who had been observing the interactions between the two models for the ad. "Now, chop chop! We better get going, team!"

*****

Kyungsoo's hands are visibly shaking. The scene they are practicing now requires Kyungsoo to wear an apron and a pair of mittens, all with bear designs on them. And he could hear some people cooing at his appearance. He supposes he should blame Kai since it turns out that Kai chose those items personally because apparently he is a huge bear lover. Kyungsoo sighed, resigning to his fate. If he should be caught wearing something like this, he would have preferred to have penguins on them, not bears. But those are just minor details he shouldn't really stressed himself over, he told himself.

At this point, Kai is supposedly helping Kyungsoo fix a batch of oreo cheesecake cookies by the kitchen island. Kai is leaning beside him and cheering him up whenever he supposedly begins to doubt his baking abilities. The important part of this scene though is when they'll be able to show how SUGAR™ looks on Kai's lips up close, which in this case is when Kai bites into his baked cookies.

"Relax, Kyungsoo," Kai told him. "Take deep breaths then exhale gently. Pretend like it's just the two of us and that we're actually best friends. You can even pretend I'm Jongdae, if that helps."

Kyungsoo tried following what Kai directed him to do. However, he couldn't exactly pretend that Kai is Jongdae, mainly because he just keeps seeing Kai's face even if he tries not to. But Kai does not need to know that.

They ended up having to practice three times until Baekhyun seemed satisfied that they will be able to pull it off more quickly and more precisely in the afternoon. Baekhyun gave them an hour of break for lunch, which some of the crew already had prepared.

Lunch quickly flew by and both Kyungsoo and Kai's appearances had to be touched up again. Sehun was again in-charge of Kyungsoo. While Kai is being worked on by Minseok.

When Baekhyun called out for the whole team, Kyungsoo's nerves started acting up again, which Kai, who was then standing beside him, noticed. Kai gave him a gentle nudge and a soft "Fighting!" with his hand doing the gesture for it. Kyungsoo smiled at Kai's efforts to cheer him up.

The camera started rolling, and both Kai and Kyungsoo got into their roles. And since they are supposedly best friends, they would be dropping the honorifics and have names for each other.

As indicated in the script, Kyungsoo is sprinkling confectioner's sugar while Kai puts the finished cookies in a plate.

"Nini," Kyungsoo called. He's not sure why Kai's name is Nini, if it's his actual nickname or just something made up for the script. But Kyungsoo supposes it's a cute one and that it suits Kai. "You really think this will be okay? It looks like every other cookie." He looked at them with a pout.

"Why are you so worried, Soo?" Kai asked, putting an arm around Kyungsoo and rubbing Kyungsoo's arm to comfort him. "Let me try?" Kai opened his mouth, as if asking Kyungsoo to feed him. Which Kyungsoo did. The moan from Kai's mouth that followed was the cue for the camera to zoom in to Kai's lips which were currently sporting the shiny tint of SUGAR™. Kyungsoo resisted the urge to ogle at Kai because, damn!, practice didn't prepare him enough for this. It actually felt like Kai's acting intensified.

"Soo, this tastes so good!" Kai praised, smiling so widely at Kyungsoo. "I swear, it's the right mix of sweetness and the consistency is great as well. Know what it reminds me of?"

Kyungsoo turned his head a bit to the side, in a way that makes him appear curious. "What?"

"SUGAR™!" Kai said, a huge grin on his face which made his eyes turn into crescents. "Right sweetness, great consistency."

Kyungsoo laughed at the revelation, showing his heart-shaped smile.

Then the crew took a background shoot of the two of them eating the rest of the cookies, which will be layered under the SUGAR™ product image and tagline that will be used for this scene's editing.

"And, cut!" Baekhyun called out. "Good job, everyone!"

"You did well, Kyungsoo-ssi," Kai said. "Not bad for a reluctant first-timer, huh?"

"What can I say?" Kyungsoo shrugged playfully. Now that the shoot is over, his anxiety died down a bit. "I have a great mentor to guide me."

"And I have an amazing student," Kai retorted.

"Okay, in as much as I would like to watch you guys continue your flirting, we do have to let the set designers follow up the set so they can rest afterwards since they will already work on preparing the set for the next scene," Baekhyun announced loudly, which made a lot of heads turn to look at Kyungsoo and Kai as well.

Kyungsoo looked down in embarrassment. Baekhyun tends to complicate things sometimes.

"Well, thank you to everyone," Kai said, giving a 90-degree bow. "Let's keep doing our best."

"Thank you, Kai sunbae!" the crew replied.

"I'd hate to leave, but I still have a schedule to follow," Kai announced. "I'll go ahead." He turned to face Kyungsoo. "Your lips form a heart when you smile; it's nice."

Kyungsoo was caught off guard by the comment that he wasn't able yo to make a reply even when Kai started to walk away.

"Confirmed! Kim Kai has the hots for my Baby Soo!" Jongdae declared, appearing out of nowhere. "The Kaisoo ship is now officially sailing."

Kyungsoo is still dumbfounded as he watched Kai pass by the door until he was out of his sight. Maybe Jongdae is right. Or maybe not. Either way, Kyungsoo knows he'll be stuck thinking about the matter.

And so he sighed.

* * *

BEST FRIEND NINI:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's tough when you have to write in secrecy, and have to sneak in the time you can actually write...
> 
> Here's my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kadikim1288) if you want to talk. :D


End file.
